Chapter One- Free At Least

Mia Stefano never knew her life would change so drastically. Who would have thought that one would have to keep their guard? Each day would be a fight for her life. It was almost too much for her, but the woman came out stronger than ever. How else could you survive three years in prison? **** “You’re a lucky girl. You have no idea how many bribes we got to put you in the general population. They had people itching to beat you to a pulp. Hell, maybe they’d even kill you.” Mia paused in her movements. Her hands were full of the items she had entered the prison in. A simple light coloured shirt and a pair of dusty jeans coupled with plain white sneakers. A signal hair tie and a mauve wallet that had a few dollars in it. That was all she had to her name. The thought struck her heart more than the words the warden had spoken to her. “Do you really think they tried?” The warden pursed her lips together. “I don’t want to scare you but it was touch and go for awhile. We had to keep a close eye on you. But you’ll do good on your own.” Everyone thought that a female prison was easy going. It wasn’t anything like a gentle breeze. Instead, she had to sleep with one eye open and even then, she’d sometimes miss the glint of pearly white teeth. There was nothing more frightening than some crazed woman standing above you with a shiv fashioned out of a spoon. “I managed then. I’m sure I’ll manage now,” Mia stated gently. She hurriedly slipped into her clothes and put the dark blue jumpsuit that had been her only companion these past few years, back into the plastic bin. The bars of the prison loomed in front of her as she peered out through the gaps. Her heart stopped in front of her as an ominous black car was parked right at the entrance. It was an ominous warning and one that was pointing its wispy dead fingers around her throat. “Good luck out there. You can contact me if you ever need it again. You also know where to find me.” The head warden was a nice woman. Well, as nice as anyone can be in a cutthroat prison. She made sure to always keep an eye on Mia because the woman was targeted every second of every day. It wasn't fair. They were baseless accusations, but the people Mia crossed were powerful people with a lot of money. Composing herself, Mia sauntered out of the prison and completely ignored the luxurious car. Unfortunately, she didn’t get very far when the front door opened and a daunting man stepped out. “Ms Stefano? I assume.” The woman stopped in her tracks as the man barricaded her path. “Who wants to know?” “Let’s just say I’m an acquaintance of Andrew William’s. Just watch your back. You never know what will come your way. I’d be careful if i were you. Always be on the lookout because one day, something brutal will happen. This isn’t a threat. It’s a promise.” Mia barely registered the words that the man spoke. She didn’t get a chance to retort back before the man had already sat himself back in the car and drove away. The woman was stunned. She had thought maybe this could be a new beginning. Mia was foolish for thinking that she could go on with her life, putting all these three years behind her. That wasn’t how the world worked. It was a cruel place, something she had a lot of experience with. She couldn’t go on with her life like how she did before that fateful night. It was all a blur to Mia. Not only was it three years ago but the young woman was naive and had no idea what was happening until it had happened. It was a faint memory. All Mia remembered was the way she was sat happily in her car one moment. The very next second, her head was slammed into the dashboard. Even now she could distinctly feel the way the blood had dripped down her forehead and trickled into her mouth. She had a terrible headache the next few days and even now, a tiny scar itches at the top of her hairline where it meets her forehead. One thing after another resulted in a myriad of catastrophes. She was barely lifting her head from off of the dashboard and it felt like mere seconds had passed before that same head was slammed against a police car. It was all a rush. Mia had been in a fatal car accident. Everything was hazy due to the trauma that impacted her head but she had been told everything that had happened. Apparently, she had been driving incredibly rashly. She was swerving through lanes, braking dangerously and going at alarmingly high speeds. The car flipped out of control and the next thing she knew; she had collided into another car. Her boyfriend was in the passenger seat next to her. He had survived. The two people in the other car were dead on the spot. It was a pregnant woman who was just due within a few days. Unfortunately neither the mother nor the baby could be saved. They were dead. It was all her fault. Or so she was told. None of it added up in Mia Stefano’s head. Everything was a blur but she vividly remembered the piercing pain that shot through her head due to the contact with the dashboard. It wasn’t possible for her to be driving. She was in the passenger seat and her boyfriend, Andrew Williams was in the driving seat. She was sure of it. But Mia was the one that had been quickly been examined by the ambulance, given a few stitches before being hauled by the police. That same head was slammed down into the police car's bonnet and she was in handcuffs. The trial was a blur but she had admitted to being guilty and showed remorse, she got three years in jail due to reckless manslaughter resulting from rash driving. Even that didn’t add up to Mia but she stayed silent. That hazy night was something Mia thought through multiple times. She reached out to her boyfriend multiple times, begging for him to help her remember. Each time someone else picked up telling her to get lost. Apparently Andrew William’s didn’t even know of Mia Stefano. She was quick to get the hint. Apparently she was dead to him. It was also vice versa for her. Mia never looked back. There were absolutely no feelings left in her heart for Andrew Williams. Everything all flooded back to her now as she watched the car speed off. She had no way of knowing what that man meant. It was very ominous and the thought unsettled her quite a bit. It seemed that she couldn’t catch a break. Mia had hardly any money to her name. She no longer had a roof over head nor a job to help her get the necessities she truly needed. The young woman was aware that it would be a tough time getting her life in order now. It was now or never at this point. Shaking her head from any looming and imminent threats, Mia headed off in a random direction. A lot of things had changed but she needed to keep a clear head. She needed to find a motel room and then start looking for a job. That was her priority. Everything else would come later.